Car of the Week | NISMO 400R '95

Yes, it's time to announce this week's Car of the Week, but there's a bit more to it than that today.

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Obelisk has arranged yet another SRC x COTW crossover event, this time featuring the Mazda Roadster NR-A (ND) '22! In addition to our usual weekly lobbies, the oblique orchestrator has arranged for additional lobbies chock full of Spec Racing Club regulars, for a total of 4 lobbies running across the week! Feel free to attend any (number) of them!

List of Lobbies

These lobbies are all running the same rules, so just pick a time slot that works for you! Click the hyperlinks in the date and time to convert to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make finding the lobbies via "Show only rooms with friends" easier! Here's me pinging some old regulars who haven't been able to attend lately due to IRL commitments; hopefully you'll find a new slot here that works for you! If enough people here like the new time slots, we might even consider making them permanent...

@Racer283 @RobboGTAddict @Yard_Sale @Pickle_Rick74 @Baron Blitz Red @Nismonath5



Lobby Rules and Settings

The rules common across all 4 lobbies should sound familiar to you if you're a regular here at COTW, but just to reiterate:
  • Bring any car WITHOUT a wide body.
  • BoP will be ON, which temporarily resets the cars' settings to stock.
  • Tyres will be the car's default (Comfort Soft)
  • PP limit will be set to 428 (stock car on default tyres + 10PP). We welcome any comparison car during race day that fits under the PP and tyre restrictions.
  • Tracks will be randomly chosen by lobby participants day of
  • Each race will last roughly 10 mins, and we will do from 4–6 races each session
  • Don't be a dick


More About SRC

Spec Racing Club (SRC) hosts one–make races with "slow" cars like the Mazda Roadster, Daihatsu Copen, and even pickup trucks! Each car will be built to spec, often requiring certain predetermined aftermarket parts to bolster their racing potential a little, though there have sometimes been cases where a driver can choose between different parts in races (low ratio gearbox vs. high ratio, for example). Just like COTW, the regulars at SRC have a wide range of skill, and there's no thrill quite like slowly seeing yourself improve relative to your peers over time!

If that sounds like your cup of tea, you can check out SRC with the links below:



COTW SPECIAL CHALLENGE!

Of the two ND Roadsters in the game, the 2015 Roadster S is lighter than the NR-A, cheaper than the NR-A by 6,000 Credits, can easily match the NR-A's on–track capabilities with said 6,000 Credits worth of tuning parts, and even has a paintable roll cage, which the NR-A lacks. The Roadster S can even fit the C7 Stingray's LT1 V8 engine in it for more power than it knows what to do with!

And so, this week's special challenge is really, really simple: Tell me why I would want the NR-A over the S.

The prize? You'll be known as the first person that has changed my mind in COTW :)
Getting notified less than a week in advance around Halloween time is...not ideal. Having said that, I'd like to join the last slot, if possible.
 
Just hit a 8:51 on the NR-A around the Nordschlief. Immediately jumped into my mint 2015 roadster, and was on pace for a similar lap, but spun at the end trying to push it a little too hard. Honestly, the S is the better car. I’m not sure how much less it weighs, but that was the first thing I noticed when driving the cars back to back. The 2015 just can be pushed that much more. The hardest thing for me, is going to be finding other similar-era cars to test it against. Walking through my warehouse and lifting up dusty covers in forgotten corners of my garage, I found a brand new 86’ with zero miles on the odo, as well as a Volkswagen Golf. I’ll have to take those for a spin on Wednesday when I get back to Germany from San Diego.


On a related side-note, Mazda Roadsters are some of the best balanced cars I’ve ever driven. They begged to be driven on the limit - which is as wide as an 10 lane freeway mind you. It’s very rare that I can take the same braking points in any car equipped with CS tires, as I can with my 911 RSR GT3.

No wonder one of the most popular race series in the world is Miata Spec racing



Oh yeah, my replays are shared on my Grand Turismo 7 web page. YARD-SALE_949. Send me a friend request that I’ll probably ignore
 
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Just seen this in my feed:


I really enjoy SavageGeese's videos. Very technical without being boring. I especially love that they always show the car's undercarriage, and weigh the cars themselves. They were a big help when I was trying to figure out the kerb mass of the C8 Corvette!

Another series I ADORE is Jason Cammisa's "Revelations", which has also very recently uploaded a Roadster video:



Jason is smart, informative, and has a great presentation well–mixed with a good sense of humour. The intricate backstories about the cars he covers is sometimes so niché that even hardcore fans of the car often express that they learned something new about their car in the comments. I can only wish I could be a fraction as good as him and his team when it comes to car reviews!
Getting notified less than a week in advance around Halloween time is...not ideal. Having said that, I'd like to join the last slot, if possible.
Sorry about that. My bad. I really should have thought to announce at least the times sooner. Halloween isn't really a thing in Asia, so it slipped my mind.

I mean, why bother with Halloween when every day is a living nightmare?

Arnold Schwarzenegger Reaction GIF
 
Managed an 08.49.617 in GTSport on SH tyres, and an 08.37.547 in GT7 on its stock CM tyres. Road cars are, on average, MUCH faster in GT7.

YT review: "Nice little quicky this one. Fun to throw it around. Pretty good lap time considering its power, I think."




Verdict: little sleeper
 
As the guy who organized this crossover, I figured I'd put in a convincing word or two for this car. Our five races in the SRC/COTW lobby today were super insightful when it comes to the car. So let's dive in!

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A brand new NR-A is delivered to you by the Brand Central salesfolk with 130 horsepower and 113.8 ft-lbs from a 1.5 liter I4, and tips the scales at a remarkably light 2,227 pounds. By comparison, the basic road-going Roadster S is at 128 HP, 110.6 ft-lbs and 2183 lbs.

So the move from S to NR-A grants you 2 more base horsepower, 3 more ft-lbs of torque and 44 additional pounds of steel - a relatively negligible amount of weight, really. A single wheel on one of these cars is about 17 pounds, for reference. The overall Performance Points gain is from 414 to 417, which is another really small gain.

And the jump in price is from about 24,000 to 31,000 credits.

What, if anything, does the NR-A confer over the S to justify its increase in price? For one thing, it's essentially a race-prepped MX-5.

In order to get the road-going Roadster to match the NR-A, you have to buy the following:
  • Sports suspension
  • Roll Cage (price unknown. gee, thanks GT Auto. I really wanted to know this, but you're telling me that because an ND I own has one, it's free for the rest? great feature but not helping me here)
  • Whatever tuning parts you need to bump the car up the additional 2 HP, which isn't specified in the NR-A settings sheet. In this case, a street air filter.
  • Whatever sacrifice to the great GT lord and savior Kazunori Yamauchi that you need to get the five-point seatbelts built right into the car, as well as the emergency measures such as the kill-switches and extinguishers, the latter of which may explain the additional 44 lbs on the NR-A.

For the added credits, the NR-A is pretty much race-ready off the bat without needing any additional work. And it really is a race-ready car.

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With the small optimizations built into the car top to bottom, you're given a car with a personality that I can only describe as athletic mixed with playful. It's a very responsive, agile machine that's pretty approachable but also not afraid to show you how daft you are should you abuse it too hard. That's partly due to the lack of differential lock under braking (rear diff is a 50/30/0 set-up), and partly due to the fairly lacking Comfort Soft tyres - though, that's hardly a fault. I think the car shines brilliantly with these low grip tyres.

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The built-in Sport Suspension is the core of what sets the NR-A apart. With the lowered, stiffer set-up, the NR-A is eager and reacts to every input with immediacy. Combined with the relatively low grip and forgiving loss of grip at the limit, and you have a car that appreciates a bit of slip angle at the edge. It almost reminds me of a toned down version of one of those Goodwood racers skittering on the edge of grip.

The net result of that is a car that, while not fast in a straight line, more than makes up the difference in the corners.

And that lack of speed is a blessing as well. When you're looking to run a race that welcomes drivers of many different skill levels, you want to keep the speeds low enough where the drivers that are close in skill can battle it out. When that's allowed to happen, you create an environment where those skills can be fleshed out, practiced and perfected.

While Square is right that the Mazda Roadster S has so many options available to it (including the LT swap), I feel like that misrepresents the difference between these cars.

The Roadster is a normal Miata. It's a weekend toy, a daily driver, or something in between. You buy one in GT either to drive it completely stock, or to drop utterly obscene amounts of money into it and turn it into a warrior.

And I discovered this while trying to muck with stuff, but the NR-A has one surprising advantage. Due to the changes made in the engine that pushed it up to 130 HP, the NR-A gains significantly more horsepower when upgraded compared to the Roadster S.

How much more?

15 HP. (317 HP vs 302 HP)

"But wait," Square might be saying right now. "Isn't that going to be negated by the weight difference?"

Yeah...if it was still 44 lbs, there might be a (very slim) case there. However, when both MX5s are fully stripped out, it turns out that the difference in weight actually goes down. Not by much, but that gap is smaller. It goes down to a mere 38 lbs difference - or essentially a full sized spare in the boot. 15 HP, relative to that, is significant. For comparison: NR-A is 1914 lb vs the S at 1876 lb.

(NR-A, default transmission, default suspension, CS tyres, 317 HP / 1914 lbs)
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(Roadster S, default transmission, default suspension, CS tyres, 302 HP / 1876 lb)
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(And these differences will only increase as you add aero, better tyres, better suspension, brakes, etc...)

With all of that considered, I have to argue that the NR-A is just flat out a better version of the Roadster S with an upgrade in pretty much every aspect minus the mass of the car - and even the mass is almost completely negligible in the grand scheme of things. The Roadster S is, in many ways, completely irrelevant.

The Roadster S has the LT swap as its sole selling point over the NR-A, and frankly? Not everyone is going to care about that.

@XSquareStickIt you should only consider the Roadster S over the NR-A if you plan on an LT/LS swap. Otherwise, just pay the extra six grand because the investment is genuinely worthwhile.

The NR-A is a Sleeper. It's also the community favorite of the two leagues at SRC, as evidenced by how many drivers took the time out of their day to show up today. Our "interested" list for Friday is at a whopping 11 drivers from SRC alone. I really hope some of y'all turn up as well.

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Postscript: I'm surprised that Square wasn't immediately frothing at the mouth at the NR-A given that it's a road-legal racing Mazda with no downforce to speak of whatsoever.
 
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Miata may always be the answer in the not very curious world of the automotive enthusiast, but hopefully nobody tells you that you can just roll up into the pits of your local race track during race day in a stock MX-5 and expect to be allowed to compete—you'll need a Roadster for that, and only if its name ends in the three letters, "NR-A".

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Limited to only its home market of Japan, the NR-A grade of the enduring Mazda Roadster, which debuted in its 2nd "NB" generation model, is essentially a road legal, built to spec racecar offered directly by Mazda for entry into the JAF–sanctioned Roadster Party Races held across Japan. Using the most basic, stripped out "S" model as a base, standard issue parts for track use on the NR-A include adjustable Bilstein dampers, a reinforced driveshaft, front suspension tower bars, enlarged brake rotors and radiators, and even the differential from the 2 litre Roadster models normally meant only for the RF and export models, paired to the JDM exclusive 1.5 Litre Inline 4. And of course, as one would expect from a modern racecar, tow hooks, a roll cage, 6 point harnesses, bucket seats with throwback Mazdaspeed branding all prominently feature on the NR-A... as options. All these heavy duty track items add around 20 kilos (44lbs) to the base, barebones S trim already represented in the game, bringing the NR-A to what Mazda quotes to be 1,010kg (2,227lbs), putting its mass on par with the S Special Package trim. Overall, these items don't radically transform the NR-A into a fire breathing track monster, but I think that minimalistic list of changes is indicative of just how race ready, dead reliable, and built with a laser focus the base car already is, and I think that's really, really cool.

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Unfortunately, there are more than a few inaccuracies with the NR-A model in Gran Turismo 7, and they irk me to no end: The fire extinguisher in the passenger footwell is completely missing, for starters. The blacked out middle brake light cover on the boot lid of the car, an NR-A exclusive detail and thus a surefire way to tell one apart from its kin, is not present. The digital NR-A also sits 20mm lower than its real life model due to the ride height drop from the Sports Suspension equipped by default, measuring in at 120mm (4.72in) when the real car sits at 140mm (1.57in), same as any other Roadster grade. Also, because the roll cage is fitted to the car by default, it cannot be coloured at all by any means, unlike the aftermarket item of the S that is accepting of any hue and finish in the livery editor. The default licence plate reads "ROADSTER" in the now phased out Mazda Font, when 2022 models should've long since adopted the newer Mazda Type font. And, this may be a minor thing not specific to the NR-A, but I find that it sticks out much more in a car specifically made to go racing: the GT Auto tow hooks are stuck onto the tow hook anchor point covers instead of removing the cover and screwing in the tow hooks, and that just looks INCREDIBLY stupid to me, almost like glued on ricer items rather than functional racing equipment. While tow hooks may be an option on the NR-A grade and only fitted for track use, they're still a requirement for participation in the Roadster Party Race, and thus I argue is a standout feature of the trim, and it's such a shame they look so goofy on the NR-A in GT7. It genuinely appears to me that Polyphony Digital took the existing 2015 S model, replaced the seats, added a roll cage, and installed a Sports Suspension as standard, and called it the 2022 NR-A instead of actually scanning a real NR-A for the game.

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GT Auto tow hooks on the NR-A

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NR-A option tow hooks on the car
Photo: Mazda

To cap it all off, the S and NR-A share mostly identical wide bodies and aero parts in GT Auto, with the NR-A adding to or replacing the S' options. It really feels to me like Polyphony Digital really couldn't be bothered with the flagship sports car of its official partner, and it just reeks. And that's even before we consider the fact that the 2022 NR-A was one of the very few cars added to this anorexic game post–launch, when we're still missing any representation for the NB and NC generations of the Roadster. They could've at least given us a visually striking RF model with the mechanically distinct 2L engine, or even a Fiat 124 Turbo, but noooooope, here's a largely similar car to what you already have, made on the cheap. Deal with it.

Look, I love Mazdas. I want the NR-A, both in the game and IRL, but even I can't deny what a slap across the face the NR-A feels like in the context of GT7.

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The 2022 NR-A we got in the game may look largely identical to the base model S, but does it drive similar?

I'm sure anyone who's managed to squeeze into the claustrophobic ND Roadster will report that two of its most glaring shortcomings are its low power figure and floppy springs, and I'm very happy to report that the track focused NR-A has addressed that latter issue, exhibiting no–nonsense tautness and immediacy approaching bona fide racecar territory. Just this one change alone completely transforms the personality of the car, from a casual, goofy, fun loving, but sometimes too unserious and borderline dangerous car into something that is easy and immediate to place, feeling like a proper weapon to wield. Despite the NR-A weighing 20 kilos more and packing negligibly more power, just the suspension changes alone made the NR-A around 4 tenths quicker around Tsukuba than the S in my hands. Of course, the 195/50R16 Comfort Soft tyres are exactly the same that is found on the base S model, and so grip in the NR-A is still extremely limited, especially now that the car isn't massively leaning on them with its tightened setup. I personally would soften the damping on both ends a bit, as I find it can be hard to put weight over the tyres without big, heavy pedal inputs, making the car hard to minutely adjust mid corner. Understeer also tends to be a bit of a problem in high speed sweepers that don't let drivers stomp on the middle pedal to shift weight up front for beforehand. That is to say, the car is very reliant on the brakes to get turned, which can work against the car even at notoriously tight tracks like Tsukuba and Streets of Willow.

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Thankfully, none of that is to say at all that the track focused NR-A has traded in its playful and feisty nature to become a soulless track weapon; in fact, I'd argue that the NR-A only truly comes alive when it loses its grip on the pavement. The base Roadster is already one of the best cars to learn fast driving in because of how slowly it lets go, and with how much warning and communication it gives drivers throughout. In the NR-A, this trait only gets highlighted more, as the car loses most of its snappy tendencies to its taut suspension setup, leaving only safe, gradual slides that only helps rotate the car into the apex of turns. Couple this with the slight bias towards understeer, and this is a car that will very quickly make clear to its driver that it wants a hint of yaw angle into a corner for the highest minimum speed and earliest throttle application out of the corner, and it just begs for a confident driver to flick its steering wheel hard into a corner on the brakes with full commitment and smoothness to get the most of it. And with its low grip tyres, the car gives its driver so much surreal, tactile buildup into a slide, it feels like I enter bullet time when the tyres start to screech, and everything comes into hyper focus: the steering wheel becomes a novel written in braille. The throttle and brake pedals are every bit as involved in the rotation of the car as the steering wheel. All four tyres would almost be a relaxing ASMR experience if not for the tiny NA engine begging to be kept screaming to hold that slide. In that moment, every bit of the car just fits and clicks together immaculately with such ridiculously satisfying fashion, it's almost like watching a master craftsman assemble a watch. Except, I'm no master craftsman or driver; the car just makes me feel like one. Mazda may like to throw the term, "Jinba–Ittai" around as a marketing slogan. I just think it's driving euphoria that no other car, no other Roadster in any other trim, can give. If you ever find yourself in a position to playtest gaming wheels before purchase, there is no car I'd recommend more than the NR-A for that pleasure.

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Having experienced that cohesion that created something that is, in my mind, worth well more than the sum of its parts, I'm so genuinely smitten by the car that there isn't much of anything I want to change at all on the car. I don't want more grip. I don't even want more power. The car is made to make perfect sense with what it is. Everything meshes together and balances with each other so perfectly in the NR-A that changing one thing feels like pulling one string and unfurling an intricate, beautiful knot. The stiffness in the suspension gives me reason and ability to slide it. The moderate power and immediacy of a small NA engine gives me perfect control to hold and adjust slides for the grip level it has. And while undeniably low powered, the Roadster never feels disengaging to drive even in the lull between the twisty bits of the track; said 1.5L NA Inline 4 P5-VP engine in the NR-A very oddly requires just a slight hint of a short shift before its 7,500rpm redline for optimal acceleration, always giving drivers something to do and think about even as they wait for the next corner. And unlike some of the other cars we've tested here in COTW, the Roadster doesn't hit terminal velocity and stop accelerating well past the 200km/h mark (124mph), which will see the NR-A pull even to the end of some of the longest straights in the game, such as Conrod Straight of Bathurst. The fact that it keeps pulling for so long ensures that every bit of corner exit momentum and slipstream its driver can eke out meaningful throughout the whole straight, and to me, that's enough power to race.

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The one thing that's still somewhat niggling at me is that I'd prefer 2nd and 3rd gears to be a bit closer together, as the dropoff when upshifting to 3rd drops the engine to the very bottom edge of its healthy power zone, making the gear ratios rather inflexible to work with. The low speed corners that this car craves often has me choosing between making a short lived downshift into 2nd sniffing the limiter, or lugging the lifeless car out in 3rd, and sometimes it can feel like there isn't a correct choice between the two. I do sometimes wish the front end was softer to reduce that horrid understeer when off the brakes, and the resulting reliance on the brakes to turn, and I imagine the car must be horrid with worn tyres. On cold rubber at race start, the rear end is almost heinously loose under hard braking, but at this point, I'm so smitten by the car that I'm just going to say that adds some old school supercar charm to the car: it's a racecar that I can drive to the shops and back, it'd be my honour to treat it with some caution and respect!

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I started the week posing the question to everyone: Why would I want the NR-A over the S (in the context of this game)? Unsurprisingly, a Mazda Roadster only makes sense after being driven and experienced rather than weighed on numbers alone. Yes, for the 6,050 Credits the NR-A costs over the S, you could just slap a racing chip or better tyres on, and have a faster car than the NR-A. You could even buy the 3,100 Credit Sports Suspension upgrade and put a 1,000 Credit paintable roll cage in to match the NR-A and get a similarly performing car with change leftover. But trust me when I say that no crummy aftermarket part will get you this level of precision, playfulness, linearity, and tactility, unless you're willing to shell out nearly half the price of another Roadster S for a full custom suspension and spend hours tinkering with it. The NR-A may cost a bit more than the S, but if you intend to tune a ND Roadster for whatever reason, be it to organise a spec racing event or simply adding more power to it, the NR-A will save you a lot of time, certainly more than 6,050 Credits worth of time.

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In essence, the NR-A is exactly what it says on the tin: it's a spec racing car that buys you a budget ticket into an exciting world of grassroots racing, removing entirely the long and arduous process of finding a setup that works for racing, being ready right off the assembly line. Despite its low price tag relative to bona–fide Grouped racecars, I genuinely think the NR-A is right up there among the best one–make racecars in the game. It just proves that racing has almost nothing to do with outright speed, is best without downforce, ground effects, and the resultant stiff suspension, low, scraping ride heights, and dirty air. Maybe it won't look as exciting to the audience from the outside, but to actually drive and have a race in? I'd genuinely rather the NR-A than any GT500, LMP, or Super Formula.

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I love Mazdas. I think most sim racers do, because they make the best drivers' cars out there. We at Car of the Week are featuring our 3rd Mazda in a row. But even someone like me hadn't expected to fall so deeply in love with a Roadster with a cage and stiffened suspension. Even someone who expects to like every Mazda he drives is pleasantly surprised by the NR-A, which should hopefully tell you just how darn good the NR-A in GT7 is, flaws and all.
 
Square hit the nail on the head. Just enough power to step out the rear without spiralling out of control (even in heavy rain), a chassis that is responsive while still being forgiving of mistakes and no aero (and dirty air) enabling wheel-to-wheel racing.

The NR-A embodies the fun and spirit of racing, no need for extreme power and downforce.

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Cashing in his free COTW pick, @RX8 Racer has chosen the RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7 for Week 30 of Car of the Week!

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Style edited from original by pesoh2: 雨宮μ過給圧上昇7_for change color
#amemiya #fd #re

We're presumably getting 7 new cars added to the game this coming Thursday, but if you can't wait that long, you can join our weekly lobbies this coming Tuesday, 31st October at 10 P.M. CST or Saturday, 4 P.M. Singapore time, when we will race the "Demon Lord of Mountain Passes" in "bone stock" condition, and most likely end up with a 7–car pileup with how skittish this thing handles. I mean, I usually try not to cloud people's opinion on the cars before they've had the chance to drive it themselves, but this car is just... urgh.

If you've any opinions or experiences with the car that hasn't gotten you killed yet, please feel free to share your triumphant near–death experiences with us here on this thread!

SPECIAL CHALLENGE

For this week's special challenge, anyone can take a "bone stock" Amemiya FD around Streets of Willow in a Time Trail run. Run 5 consecutive laps, all under the 1:24 mark, and the person with the most consistent lap times (smallest difference between the slowest and fastest laps) wins a free pick for COTW usable whenever they please!
 
Managed a 07.41.128 on the Nords in GT Sport with it. YT review: "REALLY nice to drive car. Yeah, I enjoyed that one a lot. Awesome thing."



Now let's see how it compares in GT7. First off the 1000m drag race against its main rival:



And then on Tsukuba:



Now, let me say, that in GT7 it is a COMPLETELY different beast. It's SUPER difficult to drive. Snap oversteer galore. That's what I had to say about it and its main rival on YT: "Well, well, both are pretty amazing offerings tbh. BUT: The RX7 is INSANELY difficult to push, like it's crazy really! In GT Sport it wasn't exactly EASY to push, but WOW is it a challenge in GT7! Still fun and quick though. The Amuse is the exact opposite in handling: EXTREME stability and levels of grip, VERY easy to push (though it CAN bite, if you overdo it) and also, as you can see in the lap times, INSANELY QUICK! I mean in GT7 on the Nordschleife it was a true monster, so it being fast around Tsukuba shouldn't come as a surprise, but the surprise lies in just HOW MUCH quicker it is, than the RE Amemiya RX7. Still love 'em both... ;)"

Verdict: lethal sleeper.

EDIT: LMAO @ the thread title change.
 
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Miata may always be the answer in the not very curious world of the automotive enthusiast, but hopefully nobody tells you that you can just roll up into the pits of your local race track during race day in a stock MX-5 and expect to be allowed to compete—you'll need a Roadster for that, and only if its name ends in the three letters, "NR-A".

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Limited to only its home market of Japan, the NR-A grade of the enduring Mazda Roadster, which debuted in its 2nd "NB" generation model, is essentially a road legal, built to spec racecar offered directly by Mazda for entry into the JAF–sanctioned Roadster Party Races held across Japan. Using the most basic, stripped out "S" model as a base, standard issue parts for track use on the NR-A include adjustable Bilstein dampers, a reinforced driveshaft, front suspension tower bars, enlarged brake rotors and radiators, and even the differential from the 2 litre Roadster models normally meant only for the RF and export models, paired to the JDM exclusive 1.5 Litre Inline 4. And of course, as one would expect from a modern racecar, tow hooks, a roll cage, 6 point harnesses, bucket seats with throwback Mazdaspeed branding all prominently feature on the NR-A... as options. All these heavy duty track items add around 20 kilos (44lbs) to the base, barebones S trim already represented in the game, bringing the NR-A to what Mazda quotes to be 1,010kg (2,227lbs), putting its mass on par with the S Special Package trim. Overall, these items don't radically transform the NR-A into a fire breathing track monster, but I think that minimalistic list of changes is indicative of just how race ready, dead reliable, and built with a laser focus the base car already is, and I think that's really, really cool.

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Unfortunately, there are more than a few inaccuracies with the NR-A model in Gran Turismo 7, and they irk me to no end: The fire extinguisher in the passenger footwell is completely missing, for starters. The blacked out middle brake light cover on the boot lid of the car, an NR-A exclusive detail and thus a surefire way to tell one apart from its kin, is not present. The digital NR-A also sits 20mm lower than its real life model due to the ride height drop from the Sports Suspension equipped by default, measuring in at 120mm (4.72in) when the real car sits at 140mm (1.57in), same as any other Roadster grade. Also, because the roll cage is fitted to the car by default, it cannot be coloured at all by any means, unlike the aftermarket item of the S that is accepting of any hue and finish in the livery editor. The default licence plate reads "ROADSTER" in the now phased out Mazda Font, when 2022 models should've long since adopted the newer Mazda Type font. And, this may be a minor thing not specific to the NR-A, but I find that it sticks out much more in a car specifically made to go racing: the GT Auto tow hooks are stuck onto the tow hook anchor point covers instead of removing the cover and screwing in the tow hooks, and that just looks INCREDIBLY stupid to me, almost like glued on ricer items rather than functional racing equipment. While tow hooks may be an option on the NR-A grade and only fitted for track use, they're still a requirement for participation in the Roadster Party Race, and thus I argue is a standout feature of the trim, and it's such a shame they look so goofy on the NR-A in GT7. It genuinely appears to me that Polyphony Digital took the existing 2015 S model, replaced the seats, added a roll cage, and installed a Sports Suspension as standard, and called it the 2022 NR-A instead of actually scanning a real NR-A for the game.

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GT Auto tow hooks on the NR-A


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NR-A option tow hooks on the car
Photo: Mazda

To cap it all off, the S and NR-A share mostly identical wide bodies and aero parts in GT Auto, with the NR-A adding to or replacing the S' options. It really feels to me like Polyphony Digital really couldn't be bothered with the flagship sports car of its official partner, and it just reeks. And that's even before we consider the fact that the 2022 NR-A was one of the very few cars added to this anorexic game post–launch, when we're still missing any representation for the NB and NC generations of the Roadster. They could've at least given us a visually striking RF model with the mechanically distinct 2L engine, or even a Fiat 124 Turbo, but noooooope, here's a largely similar car to what you already have, made on the cheap. Deal with it.

Look, I love Mazdas. I want the NR-A, both in the game and IRL, but even I can't deny what a slap across the face the NR-A feels like in the context of GT7.

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The 2022 NR-A we got in the game may look largely identical to the base model S, but does it drive similar?

I'm sure anyone who's managed to squeeze into the claustrophobic ND Roadster will report that two of its most glaring shortcomings are its low power figure and floppy springs, and I'm very happy to report that the track focused NR-A has addressed that latter issue, exhibiting no–nonsense tautness and immediacy approaching bona fide racecar territory. Just this one change alone completely transforms the personality of the car, from a casual, goofy, fun loving, but sometimes too unserious and borderline dangerous car into something that is easy and immediate to place, feeling like a proper weapon to wield. Despite the NR-A weighing 20 kilos more and packing negligibly more power, just the suspension changes alone made the NR-A around 4 tenths quicker around Tsukuba than the S in my hands. Of course, the 195/50R16 Comfort Soft tyres are exactly the same that is found on the base S model, and so grip in the NR-A is still extremely limited, especially now that the car isn't massively leaning on them with its tightened setup. I personally would soften the damping on both ends a bit, as I find it can be hard to put weight over the tyres without big, heavy pedal inputs, making the car hard to minutely adjust mid corner. Understeer also tends to be a bit of a problem in high speed sweepers that don't let drivers stomp on the middle pedal to shift weight up front for beforehand. That is to say, the car is very reliant on the brakes to get turned, which can work against the car even at notoriously tight tracks like Tsukuba and Streets of Willow.

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Thankfully, none of that is to say at all that the track focused NR-A has traded in its playful and feisty nature to become a soulless track weapon; in fact, I'd argue that the NR-A only truly comes alive when it loses its grip on the pavement. The base Roadster is already one of the best cars to learn fast driving in because of how slowly it lets go, and with how much warning and communication it gives drivers throughout. In the NR-A, this trait only gets highlighted more, as the car loses most of its snappy tendencies to its taut suspension setup, leaving only safe, gradual slides that only helps rotate the car into the apex of turns. Couple this with the slight bias towards understeer, and this is a car that will very quickly make clear to its driver that it wants a hint of yaw angle into a corner for the highest minimum speed and earliest throttle application out of the corner, and it just begs for a confident driver to flick its steering wheel hard into a corner on the brakes with full commitment and smoothness to get the most of it. And with its low grip tyres, the car gives its driver so much surreal, tactile buildup into a slide, it feels like I enter bullet time when the tyres start to screech, and everything comes into hyper focus: the steering wheel becomes a novel written in braille. The throttle and brake pedals are every bit as involved in the rotation of the car as the steering wheel. All four tyres would almost be a relaxing ASMR experience if not for the tiny NA engine begging to be kept screaming to hold that slide. In that moment, every bit of the car just fits and clicks together immaculately with such ridiculously satisfying fashion, it's almost like watching a master craftsman assemble a watch. Except, I'm no master craftsman or driver; the car just makes me feel like one. Mazda may like to throw the term, "Jinba–Ittai" around as a marketing slogan. I just think it's driving euphoria that no other car, no other Roadster in any other trim, can give. If you ever find yourself in a position to playtest gaming wheels before purchase, there is no car I'd recommend more than the NR-A for that pleasure.

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Having experienced that cohesion that created something that is, in my mind, worth well more than the sum of its parts, I'm so genuinely smitten by the car that there isn't much of anything I want to change at all on the car. I don't want more grip. I don't even want more power. The car is made to make perfect sense with what it is. Everything meshes together and balances with each other so perfectly in the NR-A that changing one thing feels like pulling one string and unfurling an intricate, beautiful knot. The stiffness in the suspension gives me reason and ability to slide it. The moderate power and immediacy of a small NA engine gives me perfect control to hold and adjust slides for the grip level it has. And while undeniably low powered, the Roadster never feels disengaging to drive even in the lull between the twisty bits of the track; said 1.5L NA Inline 4 P5-VP engine in the NR-A very oddly requires just a slight hint of a short shift before its 7,500rpm redline for optimal acceleration, always giving drivers something to do and think about even as they wait for the next corner. And unlike some of the other cars we've tested here in COTW, the Roadster doesn't hit terminal velocity and stop accelerating well past the 200km/h mark (124mph), which will see the NR-A pull even to the end of some of the longest straights in the game, such as Conrod Straight of Bathurst. The fact that it keeps pulling for so long ensures that every bit of corner exit momentum and slipstream its driver can eke out meaningful throughout the whole straight, and to me, that's enough power to race.

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The one thing that's still somewhat niggling at me is that I'd prefer 2nd and 3rd gears to be a bit closer together, as the dropoff when upshifting to 3rd drops the engine to the very bottom edge of its healthy power zone, making the gear ratios rather inflexible to work with. The low speed corners that this car craves often has me choosing between making a short lived downshift into 2nd sniffing the limiter, or lugging the lifeless car out in 3rd, and sometimes it can feel like there isn't a correct choice between the two. I do sometimes wish the front end was softer to reduce that horrid understeer when off the brakes, and the resulting reliance on the brakes to turn, and I imagine the car must be horrid with worn tyres. On cold rubber at race start, the rear end is almost heinously loose under hard braking, but at this point, I'm so smitten by the car that I'm just going to say that adds some old school supercar charm to the car: it's a racecar that I can drive to the shops and back, it'd be my honour to treat it with some caution and respect!

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I started the week posing the question to everyone: Why would I want the NR-A over the S (in the context of this game)? Unsurprisingly, a Mazda Roadster only makes sense after being driven and experienced rather than weighed on numbers alone. Yes, for the 6,050 Credits the NR-A costs over the S, you could just slap a racing chip or better tyres on, and have a faster car than the NR-A. You could even buy the 3,100 Credit Sports Suspension upgrade and put a 1,000 Credit paintable roll cage in to match the NR-A and get a similarly performing car with change leftover. But trust me when I say that no crummy aftermarket part will get you this level of precision, playfulness, linearity, and tactility, unless you're willing to shell out nearly half the price of another Roadster S for a full custom suspension and spend hours tinkering with it. The NR-A may cost a bit more than the S, but if you intend to tune a ND Roadster for whatever reason, be it to organise a spec racing event or simply adding more power to it, the NR-A will save you a lot of time, certainly more than 6,050 Credits worth of time.

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In essence, the NR-A is exactly what it says on the tin: it's a spec racing car that buys you a budget ticket into an exciting world of grassroots racing, removing entirely the long and arduous process of finding a setup that works for racing, being ready right off the assembly line. Despite its low price tag relative to bona–fide Grouped racecars, I genuinely think the NR-A is right up there among the best one–make racecars in the game. It just proves that racing has almost nothing to do with outright speed, is best without downforce, ground effects, and the resultant stiff suspension, low, scraping ride heights, and dirty air. Maybe it won't look as exciting to the audience from the outside, but to actually drive and have a race in? I'd genuinely rather the NR-A than any GT500, LMP, or Super Formula.

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I love Mazdas. I think most sim racers do, because they make the best drivers' cars out there. We at Car of the Week are featuring our 3rd Mazda in a row. But even someone like me hadn't expected to fall so deeply in love with a Roadster with a cage and stiffened suspension. Even someone who expects to like every Mazda he drives is pleasantly surprised by the NR-A, which should hopefully tell you just how darn good the NR-A in GT7 is, flaws and all.


Really enjoyed this review Square. Your attention to detail is unparalleled. I mean….who besides you would notice PD taking shortcuts with the tow hooks! 😂

I think the Miata is if anything, eternal in the Motorsports world. There truly isn’t any other car out there, that’s universally loved more than the Miata. When it comes to smiles per miles, it has no other rival
 
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Time Delta: 0.116, Replay will be shared along with the rest of the replays from tonight. :P

Quick summary of the RE RX-7, runs out of breath past 7500rpm, but does have much more low down torque to compensate, decent handling, but the rear is somewhat on a knife edge.

Great if you wanting to drift, not so great if you’re trying to race hard.

And since @XSquareStickIt has stated he won’t mention this detail, I’ll take this opportunity to say that the RE RX-7 has a engine swap option that isn’t a 4 Rotor, but instead it’s the LS V8 from the Rampage Camaro. :cool:

You can probably now see why he wouldn’t mention such a detail. :lol:

Overall, decent in some areas, not so in others.

Verdict: Neutral :)
 
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Time Delta: 0.116, Replay will be shared along with the rest of the replays from tonight. :P

Quick summary of the RE RX-7, runs out of breath past 7500rpm, but does have much more low down torque to compensate, decent handling, but the rear is somewhat on a knife edge.

Great if you wanting to drift, not so great if you’re trying to race hard.

And since @XSquareStickIt has stated he won’t mention this detail, I’ll take this opportunity to say that the RE RX-7 has a engine swap option that isn’t a 4 Rotor, but instead it’s the LS V8 from the Rampage Camaro. :cool:

You can probably now see why he wouldn’t mention such a detail. :lol:

Overall, decent in some areas, not so in others.

Verdict: Neutral :)
How in the HELL did you get such consistency out of that POS. I would have to try ultra hard even in a car I like to get that kind of scary consistency.

Any tips? Or just a skill issue?
 
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To repent on what made SPD jump ship in the horrifying experience in the weekly lobby, it looks to me I have to bring the RE Amemiya RX-7 through a Test.

Making use of the Horizon Mexico Circuit, a Test makes sure that any car I have can remain in good standing should I take it around the track for a few laps, building it to the top of A in 800 PI. Another rule is that I try not to make use of any Forza Aero and Conversions to keep that car's soul intact. It's pretty important or else, well, I guess getting into Dr. Frankenstein's getup to take on a ready track.

Wait a minute. Like I said: Kids are cruel, Jack. And I'm very in touch with my inner child.

Double wait a minute. That inner Sundowner's not supposed to come out. There's issues I have with this.

What the dang hell is a Horizon Mexico Circuit?
Isn't 800 PI overblown?
What could Forza Aero and Conversions even mean?
Don't all cars in GT have a soul?
Why quote Sundowner?

Let's reword the whole thing so that it works here.

A Test has me take this week's nominee up to 600 PP without exploit, restricting tires only to Sports Hards, no use of nitro, engine swaps and wide kits (GT Auto changes are permitted). Then, it's 5 laps around Kyoto Driving Park - Yamagiwa. While I'm at it, I'll also give the track some extra incentive to push my buttons so that I'm not lacking. Penalties are on, no boost or slipstream bonuses, grip reduction is Real, fuel and tyre wear are on, and there's a 650 PP Veneno behind me at all times. Of course with the soul, it sort of means that if I can use a custom manual, I will, and if a car has a better gearbox, then it's a racing set.

And the objective? That's getting the car to go under 1:48 through the optimal lap. And in my hands, that's tough enough to not pull my hair out.. if I still have hair, my head is a little thinning by the way.

This FD takes up to eleven the issues noted with the stock FD. Notably how it HATES it when you do so many things. From engine braking, short shifting, being understeery in a car with power oversteer. Huuuhh, this looks like a job for slapping on race parts and looking up a tune. And to be honest, that's what I did. What didn't work however is.. where I got the tune from, because the numbers then became mind after a few revisions. Here's what's put on..


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Gearbox was hardly changed aside final gear to 300 KM/H.


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For this new beginning of the Test, the optimal time I got after 5 laps and a few revisions was a 1:47.667, which will set the basis on how this new Test will work. If I need to make a personal benchmark.. I have cars of similar purpose and performance that penetrate the 1:46 barrier, but well, it's on Time Trial. And a good chunk of those cars are either detunes or a broken homologated widebody.

How's the new and improved drive? To me, it was a major improvement. Handling still feels a little stiff, and it can't take bumps, but the issues with its gearing just gone (because Understeer Engineering), and that tendency to kick that rear out mid turn (aside turbo coming in hot) is just.. gone. Not to mention you can be way more confident with the power. Again, I don't know where I got this tune base, so don't credit me for any major causation of joy.


How's about an update on what to expect from SPD? Well..

This week I'm stumped with what kind of story that'll come, because let's face it, 4 Mazdas do that to you. Even the week with the NR-A is going to be just drive, then meet someone.

And speaking of writing..

Reviews I missed will contain story, but where the supposed Analysis Segments are will be left empty aside a warning sign that I didn't do it. We'll see if I do want to do these for cars from the Polo up to this week's RE Amemiya RX-7. If you're the kind of avid reader, expect by next week.. at least Episode 22: Nirvana Kellen Presents Gran Turismo 7's COTW Throwback, at most up to Episode 25: A Force Of Nature.

Also from Episode 22's post script notes..
Also speaking of BIG: how about I just begin developing whole new characters on the go, but with a difference: I want to eventually drive Candy (& companions) towards this.. in universe COTW story thing. And thus I won't mind getting a small roster of people that can come from the readers/thread contributors/race stewards that this thread runs in thanks towards. These characters will be marked as (COTW). We'll see if this plan moves forwards.
Definitely an idea to expand, but unsure how to execute.


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Before I end, I did a similar run with an RE Amemiya RX-7 with the Rampage engine installed. I mean, it's one of the best sounding engines in the whole game, so I don't care how much of that Passion of Dr. Wankel we're sucking for these past 4 weeks. I went out of the box to give it a shot. At 600 PP with Sports Hards, they drive mostly similar with exception that the rotary is much more stable in low revs, which means I don't mind the swap so as long as you're okay with that juicy V8 in a little tuner like this.

Tests will take over Tuner Analysis Segments whenever I feel like it. And of course I'll be bringing over good old Retests and Reschedules, again, should I feel like doing them. Here are the pictures you might want to see.


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Why don't you show up on Saturday an hour earlier at 9 A.M. (because of daylight savings) and prove to me how much of a skill issue I have? :lol:

I'm in baby. Just so that there's no confusion: in Europe we had the time saving thing you mentioned. I'll still join at 10 am German time. That's cool? Or did you literally plan 1 more hour for this very saturday, say: want to start 1 hour earlier at 9 am?
 
I'm in baby. Just so that there's no confusion: in Europe we had the time saving thing you mentioned. I'll still join at 10 am German time. That's cool? Or did you literally plan 1 more hour for this very saturday, say: want to start 1 hour earlier at 9 am?
We have no farmers in Singapore, so we don't have daylight savings here, and our clocks are unchanged.

You Germans on the other hand, moved back an hour, so you'll need to join us at 9 A.M. your time to make it to our usual 4 P.M. lobby.

I link our lobby times in every announcement post to a time zone converter, you know :)
 
We have no farmers in Singapore, so we don't have daylight savings here, and our clocks are unchanged.

You Germans on the other hand, moved back an hour, so you'll need to join us at 9 A.M. your time to make it to our usual 4 P.M. lobby.

I link our lobby times in every announcement post to a time zone converter, you know :)

Alright. Still in.
 
Congratulations to @Vic Reign93 for setting an utterly inhumane max delta of 0.116 seconds over 5 laps of Streets of Willow in the utter ******* of a car. Even in a familiar racecar, I would struggle immensely to match that kind of consistency. We've always known you were fast, Vic, but god damn, you're just really good at driving all around. Enjoy your free COTW pick!

And speaking of free picks, having just shuttered the FH5 side of COTW, @Obelisk has cashed in his free GT7 COTW pick this week by choosing something that might serve as an excellent base for spec racing yet again, this time with the Honda S660 '15!

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Obelisk:
S660 '15, because modern kei car with an absurd engine swap and we haven't covered a swapped car in a bit
(also to break up the Mazda of the Month rofl)

XSquare:
Boo :lol:

Obelisk:
if mazda had a kei i'd pick that

XSquare:
Bruh we're literally getting the LFA, and you want to feature the S660? 🤣

As usual, we will race the S660 bone stock on its default Comfort Soft tyres at Tuesday, 7th of November, 10 P.M. CST and Saturday, 11th of November, 4 P.M. Singapore time, but what's a little more unusual starting this week is that Daylight Saving Time has kicked in for all our Western friends, so for those on the sensible side of the world, be sure to show up an hour later than usual for the Tuesday lobby! The Saturday lobby is unaffected, so for the farmers on the other side of the world looking to join, make sure you join an hour earlier than usual! (It's technically still the same time; you're just lying to yourselves that it's at a different time and trying to force the rest of the world to go along with your insanity because you're selfish, stuck in the mud, and think that the world revolves around you, when in actuality it's YOU who are insane.)

If you've any stories, opinions, media, or tunes for the car, please feel free to share them here on the thread!

SPECIAL CHALLENGE!

A rear midship car may not be the first thing to come to mind at the mention of a learner car, but the S660 is tiny, slow, (presumably) easy to park, and has a stick shift! It even features in the newly added Master B-3 licence test in the game!

But don't you find it lame how licence test cars in GT7 don't have liveries, or even decals on them to set them apart? Remember when we used to have D-RIGHTS cars in Gran Turismo 2 licence tests? Daniel Solis even goes as far as to make it sound like the Demio in B-1 is his car, and yet it has no plates, no personalisation, nothing!

And so for this week's Special Challenge, anyone interested can create a livery for the S660 with the theme of "licence test". It can be for the Master B-3 test where the S660 features, or it could be for any real life driving school. Just make sure you find a proper "L" and number plates to hang on the car! It doesn't have to be super elaborate; it just has to have some personality ;) I'll pick my favourite design one week later, and the winner gets a free COTW pick they can use whenever they please!
 
Saturday[/COLOR][/B] lobby is unaffected, so for the farmers on the other side of the world looking to join, make sure you join an hour earlier than usual! (It's technically still the same time; you're just lying to yourselves that it's at a different time and trying to force the rest of the world to go along with your insanity because you're selfish, stuck in the mud, and think that the world revolves around you, when in actuality it's YOU who are insane.)

4564_js41.jpg
 
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Hot lapped that thing around the Nords in GT Sport on SH tyres with a 09.42.920 and with that it even beat the Beat...by about...10! seconds. It's a pretty stable, little, fun car. I like it.



Tsukuba GT Sport battle:



Verdict: a little sleeper?
 
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2 things:

1) Livery challenge? Well, I'm not confident it will turn heads, but if you see the car I'm driving on this week's lobbies, that's it. It's hilariously personalized, and I spent an hour making the custom logo on the car. Justifies why I retired on the logo making: I can only satisfy myself. I'm glad I decided not to roleplay as the most frequent driver of that car. Quick side note, I'm not going on this week's Saturday lobby because.. family reasons. So it might already be the last time I drive that livery.

2) Writing? Like I said, only stories for now. S660 and later nominee's analyses will come in a separate entry than their designated story. Speaking of which, I said expect up to week 25's entry by the week, right? Here's a snippet on Week 26..

week 26 sneakie.png


I always believe being co-driver is the scariest job on this racetrack.
Sincerely: SPD who has a phobia on rollercoasters and other fairground rides.
 
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